Recombinant human Erythropoietin (also known as Procrit or Epoetin or Epogen) is a glycoprotein hormone, thought to be produced primarily in the kidneys and to a lesser extent in the liver. It is a stimulating factor for erythropoiesis, the process by which erythrocytes (red blood cells) are formed. Human recombinant human Erythropoietin has been produced by recombinant technology, and is known as Epoetin.
Recombinant human Erythropoietin is primarily used to induce production of red blood cells to combat anemia. It is used in the treatment of anemia of chronic renal failure, anemia of cancer and in HIV positive patients. The prior art is not aware of the use of Recombinant human Erythropoietin to control bleeding or to prevent rebleeding.
Recombinant human Erythropoietin has been used successfully in the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal cancer to increase the Hemoglobin/Hematocrit (Hgb/Hcrt) count by stimulation of red blood cell production. Its effect on stopping or preventing gastrointestinal bleeding has not been recognized. ("Recombinant human Erythropoietin Beta in the Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Advanced Gastrointestinal Cancer" J. Clin. Oncology 16, No. 2, February 1998 p. 434-40).
In uremic patients, it is known that Recombinant human Erythropoietin corrects the prolonged bleeding time after one week of treatment and increases the Hemoglobin/Hematocrit after two weeks of treatment. But this information has not been previously considered as related to the problem of stopping or preventing the bleeding in an actual uremic or non-uremic patient. An enhanced platelet aggregation in response to Ristocetin was noted in Recombinant human Erythropoietin treated patients, which correlated with the rise in platelet Serotonin. These facts explain the improved platelet subendothelial cell interaction and the shortening of the bleeding time, found in Recombinant human Erythropoietin treated uremic patients. Recombinant human Erythropoietin also boosts the coagulation mechanism. This is achieved by decreasing the protein C and S and anti-thrombin III (which are natural anticoagulants), in uremic patients treated with Recombinant human Erythropoietin. But this observation has never been translated into using Recombinant human Erythropoietin in a bleeding patient with normal or abnormal coagulation mechanism in order to limit the bleeding.